SANDY, Utah — Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics: “STEM” for short is a field the Women Tech Council is hoping to encourage more girls in Utah to pursue.

They are doing that through an Explorer Day event, which, over the last nine years, has activated more than 30,000 girls to pursue STEM.

On Tuesday, SheTech brought together high school girls from more than 150 schools across the state to explore the STEM field through hands on activities, sessions and mentorship.

Do all the girls here want to go into STEM?

Nope! That’s why this is so special.

Pres./Founder of @WomenTechCncl puts it like this:

“When they walk away, they see something that they love and some person who had a career and they see themselves in that spot…” 👩‍🔬 @KSL5TV pic.twitter.com/GLzdcyM2sR

— Karah Brackin (@KB_ON_TV) February 28, 2023

“I’m graduating! I’m so excited,” Aloha Allen said.

Allen is one step closer to her dream job.

“Work at NASA as a rocket scientist,” Allen said.

Allen is one of the 3,000 high school girls 9th  through 12th grade who’s exploring SheTech.

SheTech is a day to meet, connect, and be inspired by other girls, role models and mentors in the STEM field and the possibility of STEM careers.

Cydni Tetro, President and Founder of Women Tech Council, said a day for young women to explore STEM and meet with others in a likeminded space is important.

“When we talk to the young women, 90 percent of them tell us they don’t choose that field because they don’t know any women in tech and they have no role models or mentors. This event is about changing that,” Tetro said.

With the opportunity to learn about 40-50 technologies, Tetro said oftentimes, the girls who walk in have no interest in the STEM field.

By the time they leave, though, she said there is a big change.

“When they walk away, they see something that they love and some person who had a career and they see themselves in that spot. And when they do that, they’re choosing STEM when they go into college,” Tetro said.

“I plan to go into humanitarian aid and see where I can apply tech to that,” Mireya Aguilar, a high school senior said.

“I could be doing anything. I could be programming, computer programming – like cyber security,” Azucena Reys, a high school senior said.

The Governor also spoke today, encouraging women in tech and the open possibilities of STEM field careers in the state.